As delivered by Political Counselor Christopher Robinson to the Permanent Council,
Vienna, May 22, 2014
The United States welcomes the announcement of the results of the April 5th presidential election in Afghanistan. We congratulate the millions of Afghans who voted and the hundreds of thousands who worked to support the election as observers, security personnel, and election officials.
We are hopeful that the run-off election will be transparent, inclusive, and credible for the Afghan people. The United States continues to support the electoral process and is working with Afghans and the international community to further strengthen the electoral institutions and their procedures. A stable and acceptable political transition is critical for securing Afghanistan’s democratic future.
We reiterate our call to the campaigns and their supporters to oppose fraud and to work respectfully and cooperatively with Afghanistan’s independent electoral institutions.
We are particularly appreciative of the work the ODIHR Election Support Team (EST) has done to help Afghanistan manage this election. We thank Sweden and Denmark for providing the needed funding to allow the EST to remain in the country through the second round of voting.
The United States continues to support a sovereign, stable, unified, and democratic Afghanistan, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the new government chosen by the Afghan people on the basis of mutual respect and mutual accountability.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
